Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos
by A Pair of New Shoes
Summary: Sonic is on vacation when he makes a new friend. Robotnik, meanwhile, is up to something big. Whatever it is, Sonic and his buddy will have to take on the doctor together. First though, Sonic has to rescue his kidnapped companion. (Sonic 2 for the Game Gear/Master System)
1. New friend meets old enemy

Notes: think of this as buildup

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 1: A new friend and an old foe

* * *

It had been almost a year since his last adventure, and Sonic was restless. Since things had been so slow on South Island, he had been traveling the world in his personal airplane. It was a vintage-style biplane. It was big, red, and, best of all, fast. That's why he named it the Tornado. It seemed like he'd visited almost everywhere, but there was one place he'd saved for last. There was an island not too far from South Island that he sometimes visited. It was similar and yet different from South Island. This island was called Westside Island. Sonic had several friends there. No one really close, but he would stop by and say hello when he was free. He landed the Tornado on the outskirts of the largest city. Then he proceeded to greet everyone in every city and town nearby. Some were so glad to see him, they treated him to a few chilidogs. It was the middle of the afternoon now, and all that eating made Sonic a little drowsy.

"Thanks, guys. Next time, it's on me. We can hang some more once I catch up on my sleep."

He ran back to the Tornado and laid under one of the wings. It was nice and warm out. Perfect for a nap.

"Nothing beats hanging out with friends, but now *yawn* time to really relax."

As Sonic dozed off, someone else was just getting started. Now everyone knew Sonic, some better than others, but there was one person on Westside Island who really looked up to him. A young fox with orange fur followed Sonic to his plane. He was still young and rather shy, seeing as how popular Sonic was with everyone. While the fox boy had wanted to meet Sonic personally, he didn't wish to wake him. Plus he was absolutely fascinated with the Tornado. He walked around it, felt it, and studied the controls. He got himself so worked up, he fell asleep under the opposite wing of the plane.

**Later**

Sonic woke up and had a good stretch. Then he noticed the fox boy.

"Hey, kid, who are you?"

The kid woke with a start and began backing away.

"I'm sorry. I swear I didn't touch anything. I –"

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm not mad. I just don't want your folks to be upset."

The fox boy looked down at the ground.

"I'm an orphan."

"Oh…um, sorry, buddy."

"It doesn't bother me much anymore. It helps when you keep yourself busy."

"With what exactly?"

"Well…I like machines. That's why I was looking at your plane. That and the fact that it's yours."

"Another fan, huh? I guess when you save the day that's gonna happen a lot. Still, at least you didn't try to tackle me to the ground. Not like some people I know. What's your name, kid?"

"Um…it's, uh…Miles."

"Miles?"

"Miles Prower."

Sonic couldn't help but snicker.

"Everyone laughs at that. Well, I guess I'll get going."

"Hey, wait a minute. Did I just see…?"

"What? Oh that. Yeah, it's weird."

Miles was unique in that he had two tails.

"Two tails? Well, it's different, but there's stranger things out there. I heard foxes with more than one tail are from mythology."

"Well I'm obviously not mythical."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, can you do anything special with your tails?"

"Actually, yeah. I can do this."

He spun his tails around like a propeller. This caused him to start hovering like a helicopter.

"That's amazing! You can use your tails to fly. Tell you what, Miles, how about a nickname? From now on, I'm gonna call you Tails."

"It's about as obvious as you being named Sonic, but cool, I like it."

"I wonder if those tails of yours could be put to another use."

"Like what?"

"Since they propel you, maybe they could help you run faster."

"You mean to keep up with you? I mean, you'll let me hang out with you?"

"Well I don't know. You say you know machines. Did you see anything you could improve about the Tornado?"

"I think I can figure out a way to make it even faster."

"What are you, a super genius or something?"

"Well…kinda, yeah."

"Whoa, really?"

"Being an orphan two-tailed fox who happens to be more intelligent than other people tends to get you ostracized. I've taken the intelligence tests."

"So you're book smart in contrast to my street smart. Now for the final test. Try and keep up."

Sonic took off like a bullet. He ran as fast as he could. Then all of a sudden he heard a whirling sound. He looked behind himself and saw that Tails was indeed not too far behind. He was keeping up better than Amy Rose. Sonic smiled as he skidded to a stop back at the Tornado.

"I knew those tails would come in handy, Tails."

"That was so awesome! I've never ran that fast before."

"Around me, you get used to it. And you better. Because from now on, we're buddies."

Tails almost looked ready to cry.

"I've never really had a friend before. Well I mean, it's not like anyone was ever overtly mean to me, but…you know."

"I get it, buddy. Well whatever possessions you have, go get 'em. Because you're coming with me back to my place. That way you can fix up the Tornado all you want."

"Just give me a few minutes!"

**A few minutes later**

"I'm ready."

"Cool. Say, Tails, do you think you could learn how to fly the Tornado?"

"I've only read some books, but I think so."

"Good. We'll start tomorrow. Something tells me it'll come in handy. Now hop in."

**Elsewhere**

In a secret base hidden somewhere off the coast of South Island, Dr. Robotnik was hard at work.

"Sonic is always ruining my plans, but I have something perfect in mind for him. Luckily, I have a robot in the field keeping tabs on him. Now let's see."

The robot was hiding close to Sonic's home. It saw the Tornado land.

"What's this? Sonic has a little friend with him. A two-tailed fox?"

The robot was close enough to hear their conversation.

"Make yourself at home, Tails. Feel free to make any changes you like to the house."

"I'll bet I could build an add-on."

"You know, it's kinda weird you being so young yet you're capable of operating machinery. Still, it's bound to be useful."

"So that fox boy is his new best friend, is he? This is perfect! I'll kidnap the little freak and keep Sonic busy. Continue the project, my minions. I have some other work to do."

**Later**

Sonic and Tails were out racing each other.

"Looks like I'm gonna win again, Tails."

"You're faster than me, Sonic. Of course you're gonna win."

Sonic had decided to take Tails to a different part of South Island. They ate chilidogs, raced, joked around, and all that good stuff. Sonic had insisted on another race to test Tails. That's when it happened. Out of nowhere, Dr. Robotnik came flying out into the open in his Eggmobile. Tails heard the noise of the engines and turned to look.

"Sonic!"

"What? Eggman! Keep running, Tails."

"That's the evil, fat, doctor guy you told me about?"

"Indeed! I am Dr. Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius of all time!"

"Your mobile is impressive."

"I design all my inventions personally."

"Tails, don't compliment him. He's got a big enough ego already."

"You're one to talk, Hedgehog. As for you, Tails, I have plans for you."

There was a giant claw attached to the bottom of the Eggmobile. It reached out and grabbed Tails. Sonic screeched to a halt and ran towards the Eggmobile, but it had already ascended out of reach.

"Hey, let me go!"

"Sorry, fox boy, but no can do. If he's truly your friend, Sonic, then I suggest to come rescue him. He he he he he!"

"I'll get you for this, Eggman!"

The mobile took off into the distance.

"Looks like the start of another adventure. I had hoped the next wouldn't involve me talking to myself again."

**The base**

Tails was thrown into a containment cell made of reinforced glass.

"You can stay there and watch your friend's progress. Of course I doubt he'll make it far."

"He beat you twice already."

"He just happened to get lucky."

"I'm real sure."

"I have plenty of traps set up for Sonic. On top of that, I also have this."

He gestured to an empty hallway.

"That corridor?"

"It's in the corridor! Come forth, my new creation."

It was the robot he had sent to spy on Sonic. It stared at Tails with a glowing red visor in place of individual eyes.

"That robot looks –"

"Exactly! It's been in the field observing Sonic. When the time comes, I shall unleash it. Until then, I have other creations to deal with that annoying hedgehog."

Robotnik turned to the screen to check on his other 'pets'.

"I know you'll save me Sonic," Tails said to himself, "But someday I hope I can help you."


	2. Under Ground & Sky High

Notes: some have played this game, and can attest to its difficulty

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 2: Going from Under Ground to Sky High

* * *

Sonic wanted to get started as quickly as possible, but he just had to stop for another chilidog to build up his energy.

"Okay, enough fooling around. I'm coming to save you, Tails."

Sonic took off in the direction Robotnik went. It was mountainous region with small, brown crags. The first thing he saw was a cave. This cave had been used for mining, but was now abandoned.

"If there's one thing I hate almost as much as being underwater, it's being underground."

He followed the rail deep into the mine. There were spikes lining parts of the ceiling, and as Sonic ran past, they fell.

"Close shave."

Just ahead were, of course, Badniks. There was one that looked like a Moto Bug, but this one was called New Motora. Another looked like Crabmeat, but this one was half blue/half red and was called Taraban. The last was a familiar Badnik, the chameleon Newtron. Sonic quickly destroyed them all, but…

"They're all empty?"

Indeed, every Badnik was empty. No animal friends as batteries to be seen.

"This is even lazier than using seeds."

Sonic hopped into a mine cart and rode it through a long shaft.

"Hitching a ride just isn't the same as running."

He looked ahead to see a pit of lava.

"This is my stop! I'm already sick of this Under Ground area. Time to hit the heights."

He leapt out and found another way around. There were several springs in this mine, so he used them to get to higher ground. That's when he saw it.

"What in the world is a Chaos Emerald doing just sitting out in the open?"

Though admittedly it was in a very high spot, the blue Chaos Emerald was laying in an open area. Sonic took a look around, making sure it wasn't a trap, then simply picked it up.

"Well, that was easy."

Sonic continued on his journey through the mine. At last he came to a long stretch of rail. He took a deep breath, and ran. He was running so fast he barely noticed the tracks were a dead end. He was now flying towards the lava.

"Oh crud."

He tried to think of a plan, but it turns out he didn't have to. Something caught him before he hit the lava.

"It wouldn't be any fun if you were to die due to an obstacle like that."

"I suppose I should be grateful, Eggman."

Robotnik had used the large claw attached to the bottom of his Eggmobile to grab Sonic.

"Don't thank me yet, Hedgehog."

He carried him higher up to solid ground. This ground was very steep, almost like a ramp. In fact, the entire area was shaped like a funnel.

"This prize I caught in my claw stinks. I'm throwing it back."

Robotnik dropped Sonic near the bottom of the funnel. There was a large hole in the center. Just then, a huge head poked out. It had a massive pair of pincers and was snapping them at Sonic.

"Do you like it? This is my Doodlebug Mecha. As you can see from the design of the arena, it's just like the pit an antlion larva makes in the sand in order to trap and eat unsuspecting ants. Of course you're too smart to just fall in, so I'm going to help speed the process along."

His mobile dropped a large, silver ball. It bounced down the funnel towards Sonic. He timed it just right, and ran under the ball. The ball instead hit the doodlebug.

"Why not just take the hit? I'm sure your rings will cover you for a while. I just really want to cause you pain."

As he said this, he dropped another ball. Sonic easily dodged this ball and it hit the mecha.

"As if, Ro-butt-nik!"

"Your manners are as bad as ever!"

He dropped yet another ball. This one was bouncing much faster, but again, Sonic dodged it and it smacked into the doodlebug. He tried three more times, but each time ended with the ball missing Sonic and hitting the doodlebug.

"All right! Now it's my turn."

He flew his mobile straight at Sonic. Sonic merely grinned and turned around.

"Hey, ugly, come and get me. Open wide!"

The doodlebug expectantly opened its jaws wide. The mobile was closing fast. Then Sonic leapt over it, and it went flying into the waiting jaws of the doodlebug. Unfortunately for Robotnik, this not only wrecked his mobile, it also trashed the doodlebug.

"Looks like it was too big a meal for it."

The mobile still had enough power to help the doctor make a getaway.

"I know you have a Chaos Emerald. If you know what's good for your friend, you'll give me all the Emeralds you find when the time comes. If you do, I might let him go."

Robotnik was out of sight in no time.

"Like I'd really trust you, Eggman."

Sonic ran on as the mountains reached higher. The air got noticeable cooler as the landscape changed to an alpine region. There were lots of clouds in the sky. Pine trees dotted the area. The mountains were now a blue color as they ascended from below. Sonic noticed there were a lot of springs.

"Well if you're going mountain climbing, you might as well do it in style."

Using the springs, he quickly scaled the peaks. There weren't many Badniks here, save for the occasional Newtron. Sonic had to stop running, as the nearest peak was too far to jump to. Luckily, something was nearby to solve the problem.

"Cool, a hang glider. I guess this beats buying a plane ticket."

In no time he was soaring through the sky.

"This is what I call Sky High. Although I guess it still doesn't beat actual flying."

Suddenly, the sky grew dark, the wind became stronger, and rain started pouring down. Thunder and lightning filled the sky. The abrupt change in weather caused the glider to crash.

"Well this makes things more interesting."

Sonic kept going through this terrible storm. The wind was so strong at one point, it sent him falling of a nearby cliff.

"Well calling this bad would be an understatement."

_*Boing*_

"What in the world? Did I just bounce off a cloud? You know what? I'm just gonna go with it."

The cloud bounced him back to solid ground. No sooner was he there, a few Badniks that looked like turtles, called Game-Game, came along.

"Oh no, not turtles. What can they do?"

The Badniks pulled into their shells and began spinning. So fast they hovered in the air.

"Didn't see that coming."

He still easily destroyed them. Now he was at another cliff. There seemed to be no other path.

"I wonder."

He jumped off and, thankfully, bounced off a cloud. Using them like springs, he went higher and higher. He found a patch of more solid clouds.

"What a relief. So much bouncing can be a pain. Hey, is that…?"

There, nestled in this cloud formation, was the yellow Chaos Emerald.

"Well it's a more creative spot at least."

Jumping back down, he found another hang glider. This time he was able to use the wind to his advantage, such as maneuvering past spikes. Just as he landed, the storm cleared up and the sky was now as lovely as before. He went on, looking for Robotnik's next trap.

"I know that Eggman will have something waiting for me about now."

Ahead lay more clouds. They too were solid enough to stand on.

"Welcome to your doom, Hedgehog."

"Where are you, Eggman?"

"Alas, I couldn't be here. So I sent a few friends instead. Behold the Mecha Chick."

A small grey bird robot shot out from the cloud. It hopped around and flapped its small wings.

"That's it?"

"Oh, but like most birds, there's always a flock."

Seven more Mecha Chicks all shot out and started bouncing towards Sonic. Sonic took them all out with a spin dash.

"Just try that again, Sonic!"

The clouds gave way and Sonic dropped to a lower formation of clouds. There were four eggs strewn about. They shot out a great number of Mecha Chicks.

"Obviously I've gotta take out the eggs."

Sonic ran quickly and took out all the eggs first, then the chicks.

"You figured that out quickly, but you made their mother mad. Behold my Goose Mecha!"

A large head on a long neck ascended from the clouds. It was an angry mother goose robot.

"As if regular geese weren't bad enough."

The goose shot energy balls from its mouth. Sonic avoided the blasts and hit the goose on the head. It hissed at him and attacked again. He managed to hit the mecha a few more times.

"It would seem you're about to trash my mecha. No matter! I will have the last laugh. See you soon, Sonic!"

Finally, just as the goose was about to fire, he hit it one last time. That was all it could take. It exploded just like the other robots.

"That was pretty sorry, Eggman."

Sonic continued on his quest.

**Meanwhile**

"Your work is impressive, but it seems like these robots you keep sending out are rushed."

"Mind your own business, fox boy. I would never expect an ordinary machine to destroy Sonic. It has to be one I created especially for such a purpose. My Metal Sonic failed, but I've learned from my mistakes. If he does get past my pets, then he has to face me."


	3. Aqua Lake & Green Hills

Notes: up next we have…

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 3: First more water, then a vaguely familiar place

* * *

Sonic was coming up to the next area. The architecture looked very old. There were different types of fountains shooting out water all over the vicinity.

"This place looks really aesthetic. Oh…here we go again."

There was a large, deep pool of water just ahead.

"This time I have an ace up my sleeve."

Sonic built up speed, then as he reached the water, he curled up into a ball and ricocheted across the surface.

"Water, I have you beat."

Unfortunately for Sonic, there wasn't much past the water. In fact it was a dead end.

"Which can only mean that I have to go under. Brilliant."

Down he went into the depths. As he attempted to run, harpoons shot out of the ground. There were also lobster Badniks called Zaririn swimming around. Most actually seemed to be avoiding Sonic, but he thought it best to destroy them anyway. Just when it seemed the annoyances were past, he came to a wall he couldn't quite jump over. He was running out of air, but what could he do but return to the surface? Just when he was starting to get worried, a giant bubble came up from the floor. This wasn't the air bubbles he'd seen before, these were bigger. He took a chance and jumped towards it.

"Whoa, I did not see that coming. This bubble is big enough to float around in. Not to mention breathe in. Well let's see if we can maneuver this thing in the right direction."

He managed to get it past a set of spikes, but as he came to a long tunnel, the bubble popped upon hitting the ceiling. If he could have sighed, he would have. He proceeded deeper into the ruins, which were entirely submerged underwater. Farther and deeper he went, always on the lookout for air bubbles. Several of the walls were structurally weak enough to break through, but all Sonic found was more spikes and ruins. At last, there was something different: a long transport tube. Sonic decided to leave it up to chance and stepped inside. The tube sped him off in seemingly random directions. He tried to fixate on one direction, and wound up in an open area, albeit still underwater. It was a small room, with a spike-covered ceiling, but it held the purple Chaos Emerald. Grabbing it, he went back through the tube and out the other end. It seemed there was no way to go but up, and there was another giant bubble nearby.

"Man it feels good to talk. I thought this was just a lake, but having to go through all this just to get to the next area, it's like a massive Aqua Lake. That name doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm just happy to be heading to the surface."

Sonic had at last reached the surface. He took a deep breath.

"It's great to be on land. Now what stupid robot will Eggman send next?"

"I'm glad you asked, Sonic. Say hello to my Mecha Sea Lion."

It was a grey, robotic sea lion that came complete with whiskers. Instead of eyes, it had a pair of pointy sunglasses. It also had a prominent red nose.

"What's this thing gonna do, clap at me?"

As Sonic ran in to hit the mecha, it lifted its head and inflated its nose into a large red ball. Sonic bounced off the ball and landed on the opposite side of the room. As he regained his footing, the ball deflated back to looking like the mecha's nose.

"How's that for a performance, Hedgehog?"

"Pretty clever, Eggman, but this thing's a one trick pony."

This time, Sonic smacked the sea lion before it finished blowing up its ball. It flopped around like a fish out of water before sitting back up and attempting to inflate its ball again.

"The goose was more intimidated."

After five more hits, the Mecha Sea Lion exploded. Sonic merely shrugged and kept going. After a while, he came across some familiar territory. The land was rich and green. The grass extended for miles, with trees and flowers dotting the landscape here and there.

"This place looks an awful lot like Green Hill, except for different types of trees. As such, and also because I'm in a hurry, I shall dub it Green Hills."

After clearing the area of Badniks, Sonic used nearby springs to get across the hills in no time at all. He also managed to find the silver Chaos Emerald on a high hill. He at last arrived close to the end of the hills, and before him lay a sharp dip in the ground. On the other side of this ditch, was another of Robotnik's robots.

"Get ready for another fight, Hedgehog, because my Mecha Pig is taking you down."

"A pig, really? You're running out of ideas, Eggman."

The Mecha Pig was bipedal, and it was stomping around in one place like a sumo wrestler. It then curled into a ball and hurled itself across the ditch towards Sonic. He responded by jumping over the pig. Seeing it missed the target, it fell to the ground like a rock. This robot was obviously quite heavy, as its landing caused quite a tremor.

"Prepare to be squashed, Sonic."

"I think I'll pass."

The pig again starting stomping around and blowing steam from its nostrils.

"Got an attitude, big guy? How about a readjustment? This is how you hit someone in ball form."

Sonic did just that. The pig seemed madder than before. It again went into ball form, launched itself through the air, and slammed into the ground. Sonic responded in kind with a boot to the head. The pig, while having a slightly wider attack range than the sea lion, was still very predictable. In no time it exploded after too many hits.

"This is just getting ridiculous. It's like Eggman isn't even trying."

Sonic decided to keep moving.

**Elsewhere**

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you weren't even trying."

"Put a sock in it, fox boy. Everything is going according to plan. Sonic is getting closer to my base, and I've saved the best for last."


	4. Gimmick Mountain & Scrambled Egg

Notes: we now come to the LAIR

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 4: Full of gimmicks, eggs, and something completely different

* * *

Sonic stared up in awe at the mountain that separated him from whatever lay on the other side. As he stepped inside, he saw that the entire mountain was filled with machinery.

"Behind something this big, it's most likely where Eggman is hiding."

There were spinning platforms that launched Sonic higher up. Long corridors were lined with spikes, and the only way past was on conveyor belts. In fact this entire place seemed to be automated, and the only way out was up.

"All these springs and spikes and platforms. This place is full of annoying gimmicks. In fact, you might even call it Gimmick Mountain."

The Badniks were now coming out to play. There were Burrobot look-alikes called Drillin, and Ballhog look-alikes called Buton. After they were dispatched, Sonic jumped into a railway cart.

"As if these stupid carts weren't bad enough in Under Ground."

Having been carted farther through the mountain, Sonic ran into a familiar Badnik. The Bomb Badniks he saw back in Starlight were here as well. Having avoided the explosions. He climbed higher and higher until he found a dark ledge. At the back, he found the red Chaos Emerald.

"Seems strange that this place must have been remodeled by Eggman, and yet he didn't notice that. Although it might have transported here afterwards."

Sonic now had no choice but to rely on a levitating platform in order to progress. He rode it up through a winding tunnel with plenty of spikes. Upon reaching the top, he jumped off and kept going. That's when it was that time again.

"Hello again, Sonic. Meet the last of my Master Robots, the Inobuta Mecha."

"Inobuta?"

"It's a Japanese word meaning a pig/wild boar hybrid. It sounds catchy, no?"

"I…guess."

"Now attack him, my minion!"

It did look like a wild boar, with sharp tusks, wheels instead of feet, and spikes lining its back. It revved up its engine and sped toward Sonic. He dodged, but the robot collided with the wall, causing rocks to fall. As Sonic avoided getting hit, he noticed the shock had caused the robot's spikes to retract. He took this opportunity to give it a good hit. The boar snorted, extended the spikes again, and turned around. It charged at Sonic again, which ended with the same result. This repeated for a few more times, and then the boar was destroyed. Sonic shook his head as he readied to leave. Just then he saw a large, floating, metal device with Robotnik's face on it. He smashed it and out came dozens of his little animal friends.

"So that's where you guys have been. Well, you're free to go now."

Sonic continued and came to an expansive cave.

"Eggman must have remodeled this place too."

"Correct, Hedgehog! This is my base: Scrambled Egg."

"How appropriate, and so creative."

"Joke all you like. I'd like to see you get through it!"

"Considering all your so called Master Robots were so disappointing, it almost seems too easy."

"We shall see!"

Apart from the mindless Badniks, springs, and spikes, there were lots of tubes. He entered one and was taken to another location in the cave. He had to take a lot of different tubes, it was like a maze. He was starting to get dizzy.

"This is getting monotonous. There has to be a quicker way. Or maybe just a right way."

Eventually, the tubes led him to a big empty room.

"What? Nothing else you wanna try and throw at me, Eggman?"

"Well, now that you bring it up."

Suddenly, something came out of nowhere and smacked Sonic into the wall.

"That actually kind of hurt. What was…? Oh, not this again."

"Yes and no. You remember my Metal Sonic?"

"The one I defeated?"

"Shut up! Anyway, he was built with speed in mind over power. This time, I went with power over speed. Say hello to my Mecha Sonic!"

Unlike Metal Sonic, who was blue to match his inspiration, Mecha Sonic was silver in color. It had no individual pupils, just one cycloptic visor. Instead of arms, it had boosters. Its boots had jets in them. To make up for lack of arms, it had one long retractable tentacle with scissors on the end. Also unlike its predecessor, who although quiet, proved it could talk, this model never said a word. It snapped its scissor claw at Sonic.

"This thing just looks ugly."

"I don't care what it looks like, so long as it kills you. Mecha Sonic, attack!"

It rolled into a ball and began bouncing around the room. Sonic had to be fast to avoid getting hit.

"You wanna play like that, huh?"

Sonic too rolled into a ball, the real and fake hedgehogs merely bounced off each other.

"Well I'll give you props for creativity. Metal couldn't do what this guy just did."

"Mecha knows all your moves, Sonic. I've had him spy on you for quite a while."

"Copying isn't the same as the real thing, no matter how hard you try."

Mecha dashed from one end of the room to the other, extending his claw to get Sonic if he failed to hit him. Needless to say, it was very hectic.

"Over here, ugly."

Mecha sped towards Sonic, only to run into the wall, thanks to a quick sidestep. Sonic then gave him a hard hit.

"That'll teach you to copy me."

"Speaking of copies, I know this isn't the best time, but I do still have your little friend."

"Once I take care of this doppelganger, I'm coming after you, Eggman."

"Not that I expect you to survive, but I look forward to it regardless."

It seemed that no matter how much Sonic kept hitting this mechanical copy, it just kept going.

"For being a poor design choice, this thing sure has a lot of stamina. I wonder where it's getting that kind of power."

Just then, the claw reached out to grab him. Instead, he grabbed it and swung Mecha around. With all his might, he slammed Mecha into the wall. The impact caused part of the roof to fall on top of the robot. It struggled to get back up. That's when Sonic saw it. Through a chink in its torso, Sonic could see that a Chaos Emerald was what kept Mecha going. He revved up his super peel out and slammed Mecha into the wall again. This was too much for it, and it collapsed. Sonic wrenched open the robot and retrieved the green Chaos Emerald.

"That makes six, but where's the seventh? And more importantly, where are Tails and Eggman?"

The Chaos Emeralds began to glow faintly.

"I wonder…I'll bet I can use these six to find the seventh. Eggman must have it. When I find Eggman and the Emerald, I'll find Tails. Hang on, buddy."


	5. Crystal Egg

Notes: We've reached the halfway point

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 5: The adventure continues

* * *

The Chaos Emeralds led Sonic to a hidden door. On the other side was a sight to see. The entire place was made of crystal, but everything also bore Robotnik's likeness.

"Do you like it, Hedgehog? I call it Crystal Egg. It really is a masterpiece, isn't it?"

"Even the most decorative evil hideout doesn't make up for anything, Eggman."

"Then I'll leave you to it. Come and get me!"

Sonic took off in search for Robotnik, but suddenly one of the tiles with the doctor's face on it fell and almost hit him.

"He's so ugly his own pictures are trying to destroy themselves."

He also noticed a lot of spikes. The only Badniks were flying piranhas who didn't really do much. They were easily disposed of. Floating platforms assisted in crossing the spikes, as did the occasional spring. The scenery, or lack thereof was kind of pretty, but also quite unsettling.

"This place looks so…clean. Like the disturbing sort of clean."

He managed to find one of those rare invincibility boxes to get across an exceptionally long spike pit. Breaking through walls opened up more paths to explore.

"This is getting boring. I really hope I'm getting close to an exit."

Just then, the floor collapsed beneath him.

**Meanwhile**

"He's right around the corner. Time to say goodbye, fox boy."

"Sonic is going to win. So the only person to say bye to is you."

"You think you're so smart? Guards, tie him up and bring him out of his cell. I want him to have a front row seat at watching his friend get fried."

Two robots took a hold of Tails. His arms were tied to his sides, his legs shackled, and his tails bound together.

"That should hold you. Now before you watch the screen, observe my genius. This is only a prototype teleporter, but it still works perfectly."

Robotnik disappeared as Tails looked on.

"A teleporter, huh?"

**Back**

"Okay, that caught me off guard. Now where am I?"

He was in a dark room made of steel, and with only one way to go.

"Well this is more like it. Oh goody, more transport tubes."

He jumped in and it took him to a different room.

"This is where it ends, you annoying little pincushion."

Robotnik was in a control panel on one side of the room.

"Oh yeah? What are you and your little, yellow cape gonna do about it?"

The room began flashing.

"This can't be good."

"Prepare to be fried!"

"Some other time, perhaps."

Sonic jumped back into the tube, but the way to the previous room was blocked. Instead it sent him in a circle around this room. He didn't care at the moment, because being in here was better than being in the actual room, which was full of deadly electricity. The doctor couldn't keep it up forever though. Once the power died down, Sonic shot out of the tube and gave the control panel a good hard slam.

"Why you…!"

Robotnik shout out energy bolts that circled the room. Sonic responded by again using the tubes to his advantage. Electricity also shot through the room again.

"Nice going, Eggman. The tubes make all the difference."

"Note to self: always make sure you don't put in something the hedgehog can use to his advantage."

"Good luck remembering that piece of advice."

"Oh, shut up!"

It continued this way a few more times. Sonic easily wiped the floor with this machine. The final blow caused the control panel to explode. Robotnik, however, disappeared.

"How did he…? Hey, there's another tube behind where the panel was."

He leapt in, and sure enough, on the other side was Robotnik making a run for it.

"You may have beaten me, but I still have your friend."

The teleporter was ahead, and Robotnik was closing in.

**Other side**

Tails decided it was time to take action.

"I can't fly, but I can do this."

He swung his tails around like a mace and hit the nearest robot. This robot, in turn, hit the next robot. As they were getting up, Tails hopped as fast as he could to the teleporter.

**Back again**

Robotnik activated the machine and jumped in.

"Hasta la bye-bye, sucker!"

"NO! Get back here."

**Base**

Robotnik stepped through the teleporter and saw the robots getting up off the ground.

"What are you pawns doing? Where's the sidekick?"

Something hit him from behind. He dropped the remote for the teleporter. That's when someone else hit the button.

"Thanks for all your help, Eggman."

"The little freak is escaping? I can't believe this!"

Robotnik tried to reach for Tails, but he jumped into the teleporter.

**Sonic**

Sonic was feeling both mad and sad all at once.

"What am gonna do? I've gotta find him. But how? This stupid machine isn't working!"

That's when it turned back on.

"I'm coming, Tails."

Something came flying out of the machine and hit Sonic.

"I did it!"

"Huh? Tails! You escaped all by yourself."

"Is wasn't easy, Sonic. Although I owe some of it to Eggman. He let his ego get in the way."

"So what else is new? Let me untie you."

"Thanks. It's been too long since I've flown."

"I think we should get back to vacation now. Oh wait, the Chaos Emeralds. I only found six."

"I think I can help with that."

Tails pulled out the cyan Chaos Emerald.

"You had it the whole time?"

"Well I found it while we were exploring before I got kidnapped. I wasn't very well hidden. I didn't get to tell you."

"Eggman didn't bother to search you or anything?"

"For one thing, he thought I was too dumb to have or try anything. For another, I complimented his genius and he forgot about everything else."

"That's my boy."

The Emeralds glowed and teleported away.

"I hope they end up somewhere safe this time. Let's go home."

**Later**

"Did you salvage what you could of Mecha Sonic?"

"Yes, doctor."

"Good. I think he needs a few upgrades. What about the big project?"

"Still in progress, sir."

"I still need to buy some time. Hello, what's this?"

A blip came up on a special radar.

"I'll check this out myself."

After a while of searching, Robotnik found what the radar picked up.

"Well what do you know? A Chaos Emerald."

The red Chaos Emerald apparently didn't find a good enough hiding spot.

"I've been meaning to do some more research on the Emeralds, and here one falls into my lap."

_*Shudder*_

"Why'd you shudder like that, Sonic?"

"I don't know, Tails, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Postpone the vacation and let's roll…after we pick up something to eat."


	6. New game, to Turquoise Hill

Notes: Sonic Chaos was known as "Sonic & Tails" in Japan

Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 6: A different shade of green

* * *

Sonic and Tails, having had some chilidogs and a quick nap, were racing around trying to see if anything was up. Particularly if it had to do with Dr. Robotnik. Just then, there was an unexpected earthquake.

"What was that, Sonic?"

"I don't think there's ever been an earthquake here before."

"Then it must not be natural."

"Wait, Tails. That gives me a good hunch. Let's go back home."

"What?"

"Trust me."

The pair ran back to Sonic's house. Once there, Sonic turned on the TV and began flipping channels.

"What are you looking for, Sonic?"

"I'll know it when I see it."

Just then, every channel was preempted.

"Greetings, people of South Island! It is I, Dr. Ivo Robotnik: the greatest scientific genius of all time!"

"Humility, thy name is Eggman."

"I have found one of the legendary Chaos Emeralds. After some experimentation, it seems I've triggered a reaction from the other six Emeralds. South Island is now currently slowly sinking into the ocean."

"That can't be good."

"Fortunately for you people, it's so slow you can't even notice, apart from the occasional tremor. I would take this opportunity to evacuate if I were you. I thought it only fair to warn you because I know Sonic the Hedgehog will come after me."

"You can say that again, Eggman."

"To which I say, bring it on! Have a nice day."

The broadcast cut off.

"You think people will really start evacuating, Sonic?"

"Unfortunately, Tails, that's not my department. Whether they do or not is their business. Whatever their decision, I'm gonna go after Eggman and put a stop to this."

"Maybe if you beat him quickly enough they won't have to leave."

"Maybe…I guess just to be nice we should tell the people that."

Sonic and Tails rushed to the biggest city on South Island and gave their announcement. While it did relieve a few people, most were still bent on escaping. The animal friends were much happier at the news.

"Well seeing as how it'd be difficult for them to get a ship, I don't blame them."

"We should get started now, Sonic."

"Right, buddy. And I know just which way to go."

"How?"

"Call it a hunch."

"Oh, great."

The duo headed towards a lush, green area. It was much like Green Hill, but with subtle differences. The colors were the most noticeable change.

"Have we been here before, Sonic?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Tails. But now that we are here, I'm gonna give this place a name. Since it's so similar to good old Green Hill, it shall be known as Turquoise Hill."

"Now there's a word, and color for that matter, that you don't hear often."

"Well I was trying to be a little unique. Now let's get moving!"

As they continued through the area, something unexpected happened.

_*BOING*_

"Whoa! Where did that spring come from?"

"It was hidden under the ground."

"Well that's a new one. Oh, look. Eggman's sent the welcoming committee."

It was a small group of Badniks. They looked like cheap imitations of previous Badniks. Bane Motora was basically a Moto Bug, but with a spring on its back. Beeton was similar to Buzz Bomber, but it had no weapons.

"I'll hit 'em high if you'll hit 'em low, Tails."

"Got it."

Tails demonstrated his ability to also curl into ball as hit the Moto Bug imitators head on, knowing jumping on them wouldn't work due to the springs. Sonic, meanwhile, took out all the Beeton by jumping from one to another. Like before, these Badniks were empty.

"Eggman is sure getting lazy."

"All the better for our friends, Sonic."

"Yeah, let's keep going."

As they went on, Sonic began picking up rings.

"Hey, Sonic, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, pal."

"Those rings you pick up that seem to be everywhere, where do you put them?"

As Sonic was about to reply, he picked up his 100th ring.

"Well, Tails, I —"

_*FLASH*_

Sonic had disappeared.

"Sonic?"

**Special**

Sonic was apparently high up in the sky, because all he could see were clouds.

"Where am I? What happened? This places looks a tad surreal, so I must be an alternate dimension. This must be where one of the Emeralds is hiding. Hey, look at these."

They were small jet boosters that attached to his shoes.

"This should make things go quicker."

Sure enough, they did. He zoomed through the sky, picking up more rings as he went. At last, he came to the end, and picked up the blue Chaos Emerald.

"Sonic, where did you go?"

"Aw man, the boosters are gone."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, buddy, I went to a special stage."

"You mean those weird pocket dimensions the Chaos Emeralds usually end up in?"

"The same. So now we have one to match Eggman's one."

"You won't get away with that!"

The two heroes looked around.

"Where are you, Eggman?"

"Alas, I couldn't be bothered to show up. I sent a friend instead. This is the Great Bane Motora Gold, but you can just call it the Lady Bug for short."

It was a much bigger version of the previous Bane Motora. Instead of wheels, it had large treads.

"This shouldn't take long, Tails."

Sonic spin dashed into the Lady Bug's head as it drew near. When it got too close, Sonic jumped over it and waited for it to turn around, which it did, very slowly. Then he spin dashed its head again until it exploded.

"That only took about a minute, Sonic."

"A minute? That long? Well, this thing was slow anyway. If that's the best he's got, this crisis will be averted in no time flat. Moving right along, Tails."


	7. Gigalopolis & Sleeping Egg

Notes: and the next level is…

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 7: Living in the city, and running through a construction zone

* * *

Sonic and Tails pressed onward as the sun set. Soon it was night, and that's when they arrived at large, almost futuristic city. It had tall skyscrapers, and dozens of roads, but all the people had already evacuated.

"What is this place, Sonic?"

"Welcome to Gigalopolis. It's catchy, but admittedly it sounds funny."

Instead of cars, all they saw were Badnik stag beetles called Dokabuton patrolling the roads on their treads. Overhead, more Beeton Badniks circled the area.

"These Badniks have no offensive capabilities," Tails said.

"Eggman's either being really cheap or lazy. Did he just come up with this plan off the top of his head or what?"

Sonic and Tails explored most of the city, but apart from the Badniks, it seemed untouched. As they sped through a tunnel, Tails spoke up.

"Almost got one hundred rings, Sonic?"

"Now that you mention it…"

**Special**

Sonic was in a grassy area. There was nothing to the left or right, so he looked up. Sure enough, there were platforms in the air.

"Only one way to go."

He quickly jumped from one platform to another, occasionally finding a spring to launch higher. At the very top, he found the yellow Chaos Emerald.

"Did you get it?"

"Of course, pal."

"You know, Sonic, you told me Eggman once used a Chaos Emerald as a power source. These things are so mysterious and legendary. I wonder if their power could be harnessed properly."

"If you really want something, fox boy, you take it!"

"Hey, do we eavesdrop on your conversations, Eggman?" Sonic replied, "Of course when you're so high on yourself you announce to the world what you're planning to do, I guess that doesn't apply."

"Oh, you're a comic genius. Say hello to my Dangerous Ball Tower, also known as the Bead Bug."

It looked like a centipede. It consisted of four large "beads" attached to each other, with the top bead being its head. It launched the three beads that made up its body at the duo. They scurried out of the way, and noticed that it was now only a head on the ground.

"That's a pretty stupid design," Sonic said, "It just makes it easier to hit."

Which is exactly what Sonic did to the robot. Suddenly, the launched segments returned to the robot, making it tower over the heroes again.

"Well that was a pretty clever way of solving that problem."

"Tails, don't encourage the mad scientist."

"Sorry, Sonic."

After a few more hits, this robot was no more. Sonic and Tails continued their quest.

"You know, Sonic, after what you told me about Eggman, I get the feeling that he's holding back."

"While I agree that some things are a bit off, why would he do that?"

"I dunno…maybe he's plotting something else."

"After we stop this scheme of his, I'll have beaten his sorry butt four times. I don't see how he could be up to anything else."

"It was just a theory. Sonic, I know we're in a hurry, but can we please rest a bit? It is nighttime after all."

"You've got a point, Tails. The island is sinking incredibly slowly. So what harm could there be?"

They stopped by a tree and sat down.

"You rest, Tails. I'll keep watch for a bit. Just in case."

"Thanks, Sonic."

**Later**

"It's morning. Let's get going, buddy."

"That seemed to go by fast."

"It always does."

The two went on until they come upon a construction site.

"This must be fairly new, Sonic."

"Looks like they're not finished, but there's no one here."

As they kept going, Sonic then saw some erected walls. They all had a portrait of Dr. Robotnik carved into them.

"Careful, buddy, this lot is Eggman's doing."

"Really? I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be."

"Nor am I, fox boy."

"Where are you, Eggman?"

"You should know that I'm not actually here, Sonic. I'm far too busy with my research. I simply wished to let you know that you've stepped into my territory. I always make sure to have cameras wherever I build something. I began construction on this site, but I was a bit preoccupied, so I'm still not sure exactly what to build. However, I still thought of a clever name: Sleeping Egg."

"After a long-winded speech like that, I could be the one sleeping."

"Joke all you like. I don't really care if you make it through here or not. I'd prefer eliminating you myself. Enjoy!"

Sonic rolled his eyes as he and Tails continued. Grass still grew amidst the metal of the site. A lot of the walls were weak and unfinished, and thus breakable.

"It pays to clear a path."

"Right, Sonic."

Sonic stopped as he saw a spring up ahead. It looked slightly different from the average spring.

"This spring looks off a bit. I wonder, what's the deal?"

Sonic stepped on the spring.

_*BOING*_

The spring acted as a pogo stick, launching him up to higher landings. Tails had to fly to keep up. Sonic was enjoying himself, but then the Badniks appeared. One was called Frogger, a frog Badnik with a spring for legs. The other was…confusing to say the least.

"What the heck is that thing?"

"It looks a bit like an onion to me, Sonic."

This onion Badnik, Tsuno-tsuno, had two tiny arms and, apart from slowly advancing, it did little else. Sonic shook his head as he destroyed all the Badniks. It was then that he found his one hundredth ring.

"Be back, buddy."

**Special**

Sonic found himself underwater.

"_This has got to be some cruel joke," _he thought to himself.

He looked around for air bubbles, but to his surprise, there were none. He started to get a little worried, but that's when he saw the invincibility sparkle. With his fears gone, he pressed on. Just ahead was a tube network like he had seen back in Scrambled Egg. He followed the tubes through this underwater cave, stopping to renew his invincibility.

"_Usually this invincibility thing is rare," _he thought.

He finally got to the middle of the pipe maze and found the green Chaos Emerald.

"Sonic, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Some genius thought it'd be funny to put an Emerald in a cave filled with water."

"Oh, right. You can't swim."

"Yeah…let's keep going."

They at last made it to the end of the construction zone.

"All trespassers will be dealt with."

"What do you have for us this time, Eggman?"

"Well I was going to call it the Bouncy Boss Robot, but that sounded too stupid. So I tried harder and now, behold the Hopping Egg Vulcan!"

"He's right," Tails said, "That does sound a lot better."

"Tails, please stop that."

This machine looked a bit like the Eggmobile. Atop it was a head that looked like Robotnik's. A giant spring on the bottom was where it got the 'hopping' part of its name. On the front, it had a Vulcan cannon that started shooting bullets.

"This thing is almost as ugly as Eggman," Sonic joked.

"Is this really the best time for joke, Sonic?"

"When you've been through what I have, Tails, then any time is good for jokes."

As the Robot hopped closer, Sonic did some hopping of his own, onto the head of the machine. I reacted by springing high into the air, trying to land on one of the two heroes.

"Can I have a whack at it?"

"Be my guest, little buddy."

Tails hit the robot on the head. Sonic and Tails took turns hitting the robot until it exploded.

"That was something else. That's all I can say."

"Say no more, Tails. Let's just keep at it. Good job, by the way."

Tails smiled as the two of them went on. After a while, Tails spoke.

"This place is starting to look familiar."

"It does, kinda. I can't quite put my finger on it."

They ran to the top of a hill to get a better view. What they saw, well, was quite shocking.

"Whoa…"


	8. Mecha Green Hill & Aqua Planet

Notes: almost there

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 8: Familiar place, new face, and something bad

* * *

The entire landscape bore a resemblance to Green Hill, but it had been covered with machinery.

"How do you like it, Sonic?"

"What did you do to this place, Eggman?!"

"What you see before you is only a small portion of what used to be Green Hill. It's actually quite a distance from the area you call Green Hill, but regardless, I gave it a makeover. I call it Mecha Green Hill."

"How original."

Despite the obvious name, it was very true. The trees, flowers, bridges, and ground were all metallic. The grass was synthetic. The water was actually molten metal. The sky was a sickly green. The Bane Motora beetle Badniks from before patrolled the area. As Sonic walked on while looking back and forth at his surroundings, he walked under one of the trees. This tree had coconuts in it, but when Sonic walked under it, the coconuts dropped.

"Sonic, look out!"

_*BOOM*_

"Coconut bombs? Points for a bit creativity, Eggman."

"I can't believe he made a place like this right under our noses, Sonic."

"He has been keeping us busy, Tails, and he always works fast when it comes to showing off."

"This place is like what you told me happened on Little Planet. All that bad future stuff."

"I'm sure that's the effect Eggman was going for. Unlike the planet though, time travel is out of the question. So this place is gonna have to stay this way."

"I'm sure there's a few changes we could make. Like adding real plants. Then maybe the sky around this vicinity will look normal again."

"Good thinking, buddy. Who knows? This could be a good tourist attraction. It is, after all, only a small piece of the actual Green Hill."

"Work with what you're given, they say."

"Hold that thought, I just got enough rings."

**Special**

This place was very similar to the second area, except it was more horizontal than vertical.

"Guess I should start running. Wait, is that…?"

It was the rocket boosters for his shoes.

"This should cut time in half."

He flew through the dimension, picking up rings as he went, until at last he reached the end, and the silver Chaos Emerald was his.

"Have fun this time, Sonic?"

"I did actually."

"The fun ends now, you fools! The Tree Crawler will see to that."

"How intimidating is that name?"

"Its real name is Kamado MAX."

There was a tall tree in a pit of spikes. Going up and down the tree was the aforementioned robot. I was sort of a cross between a beetle and a monkey. Its back was heavily armored, so the obvious target was its head. As it climbed up the tree, its back armor opened up to fire a round of energy bolts from a cannon. It climbed higher and higher until it reached the top of the tree. Then it slid back down and began the process over. This time, Sonic was ready for it, and jumped on its head repeatedly.

"Take a shot at me and my friend, will you? Not anymore!"

In no time flat, it was destroyed, but Sonic was falling towards the spike pit.

"I may have been a bit overzealous."

"I've got you!"

Sonic was suddenly moving through the air. Tails had grabbed his arms, and was flying him to safety.

"I didn't know you could carry me, Tails."

"It can't do it for very long."

They touched down and took a break.

"Even if it was brief, that was impressive, buddy."

"Thanks."

"Just catch your breath. When you're ready, we'll move on."

The sky was getting cloudy as they drew closer to the next destination. In the distance, there were several oil refineries, which were quite the contrast to the ancient ruins the duo had arrived at. Quite a few of the floors were structurally unsound, so they had to move quickly to avoid falling.

"Were there always oil refineries here, Sonic?"

"Yeah, but not this many. All points lead to Eggman."

"I'll bet when everyone else evacuated, he moved in and took over the existing refineries."

"I'm surprised he isn't here to gloat about it."

"Well now that you mention it, Sonic, how could I not?"

Sonic and Tails looked around. They could hear his voice, but no sign of where it was coming from. This obviously wasn't one of his factories, so there couldn't be any cameras.

"Where are you hiding now, baldy?"

"None of your business! I wanted to welcome you this area. I'm sure you'll love it, Sonic. Welcome to Aqua Planet."

"As in there's water here?"

"Of course! If you can get through without drowning, I'll see you at the end."

"Don't listen to him, Sonic. If this place is so full of water, why haven't we seen any?"

"You think maybe the name Aqua Planet was misleading? Now that I think about it, why is it called Planet? We're still on South Island."

As they traveled through the ruins, Sonic quickly collected all the rings he needed.

"That was fast. Gimme a sec, Tails."

**Special**

"Oh great, more of those dang tubes. At least there's no water here."

Sonic went zooming through the transport tubes. Back and forth, in countless circles, and with no end in sight.

"I'm all for these tubes up to a point. This is ridiculous! It's making me a bit dizzy."

He stuck through it though, and at last he found a way out. At the end, he found the purple Chaos Emerald.

"Sonic, you did it. That makes six Emeralds."

"You mean five, right?"

"Actually…"

Just then the floor collapsed. The fell into the water below, but it really wasn't that deep. They kept going until they could finally get back on dry land.

"Well that was a minor nuisance."

"Well here comes a major one, Sonic."

A large egg-shaped robot hovered into view. It has eyes, a beak, and three tiny legs.

"That's still not major, Tails."

"Is that so, Hedgehog? You'll change your mind when my Sphere-O-Bot takes care of you!"

The Bot didn't do much. It hopped up and down across the floor, occasionally shooting an energy ball. Sonic easily destroyed it…or so he thought.

"In case you forgot, Hedgehog, this is an egg. So there's something inside!"

The top half of the egg came off, and dozens of mecha chicks came flying out, launching themselves at the pair like torpedoes. As the team avoided being hit, they conversed.

"More of these stupid mecha chicks."

"You fought them before?"

"Eggman used them back when I was rescuing you."

All the chicks were destroyed, and all that was left was the bottom half of the egg bot.

"Allow me, Sonic."

"By all means, buddy."

One hit was all it took.

"That's that. Now let's get out of here."

Right over the next mountain, there loomed Dr. Robotnik's new fortress.


	9. Electric Egg and the end for now

Notes: time for some buildup

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic 2 & Sonic Chaos

Ch. 9: Electric Egg showdown

* * *

Sonic and Tails arrived at Dr. Robotnik's new base of operations. It looked very high tech. There were floating platforms, spikes, conveyor belts, mounted laser guns, and a lot of vacuum tubes, all set in an environment that almost looked like the inside of a computer.

"This place looks pretty cool."

"Maybe it would be, Tails, if it weren't the design of a nut job."

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Mind your own beeswax, Eggman."

"This is my base. Anything that goes on inside it is my business. Welcome to my Electric Egg!"

"Points for alliteration, but being a jerk subtracts from your score."

"You think yourself amusing, Sonic?"

"At least when I want to be, I _can_ be amusing."

"Then try to get through my traps and face me. Then we'll see who's so smart!"

"Yeah, whatever. The sooner we get through this place, the better I'll like it."

They took off down the nearest corridor. They dodged the lasers and the bomb-like Badniks.

"This way, Tails."

"That bridge doesn't look safe."

"I doubt it is, but we have to hurry."

As they ran past, the bridge collapsed.

"You know what I wonder, Sonic."

"Do tell, buddy."

"Why are there so many rings in here? If Robotnik wants you to die, why does he leave them lying around?"

"That is a good question. Either he's overconfident, which is most likely, or doesn't realize the rings are here."

"You mean like the rings just magically appear here?"

"I may collect them, but that doesn't mean I know how they work."

They moved on to a large room where Robotnik was no doubt waiting.

"Time for my glorious return!"

They could hear loud clanging noises, like footsteps. It was Robotnik's Eggmobile attached to a fairly large pair of long, chicken-like legs. A bulky panel functioned as a shield, and a sword in a sense, as it had an open panel with a laser pointing out.

"This is my new creation: the Laser Walker."

"Tails, doesn't that thing look like something from Star Wars?"

"It appears to be a scaled down AT-ST."

"It's just a coincidence!"

"Sure it is, Eggman."

"Oh shut up and die!"

He began firing the laser. The shots were a bit tricky to avoid, especially since some ricocheted off the walls. As he fired, the doctor slowly walked forward, getting closer with each step.

"Time to put a stop to this. Tails, a distraction, if you please."

"Right! Hey, over here, you talking egg! I'll bet you copied most of your designs."

"How dare you!"

As Robotnik fired at Tails, Sonic began smashing the Walker. Robotnik caught on quick this time, and turned back towards Sonic.

"How clever, but I'm far too smart for that."

"Well what about this?!"

Tails took a turn in smashing the Walker. The machine was already beginning to malfunction.

"Two against one isn't fair!"

"Since when do you ever play fair, Eggman?"

"Good point. So instead I'll just try for a change of pace."

As he detached his Eggmobile, the Walker exploded. He pressed a few buttons and the mobile now had a more powerful thruster. The doctor flew around the room, trying to ram into the duo.

"That thing is surprisingly fast, Sonic."

"Maybe, but it's also fragile considering what it's just been through. One good hit should take care of it."

"Yeah, if we time it just right."

Tails flew up high for a better look. Robotnik ignored him and went straight for Sonic.

"Time to get beaten by something fast, Hedgehog. The irony!"

"Not today, Eggman. NOW!"

Tails dropped down and hit the mobile, knocking it off course. Sonic responded by spin dashing it into a wall. A cloud of smoke filled the room.

"Time for me to take my leave!"

Out of the smoke ran Robotnik, with a surprising amount of speed. He jumped on a nearby platform that propelled him upward.

"Nice try, Sonic!"

"I can fly, you know."

Robotnik turned to see Tails on the platform as well. Tails reached into the doctor's pocket and grabbed the red Chaos Emerald.

"Somehow I knew you'd keep it on hand. Bye!"

Tails leapt of and flew to the ground.

"You win this round, fools, but this is only the beginning!"

He then rocketed out through a hole in the roof.

"Alright, Tails. You got the last Emerald, but we need the seventh to stop the island from sinking."

"I have the last Emerald. I found it while you were busy."

Sure enough, Tails had the cyan Chaos Emerald.

"You mean it wasn't in an alternate dimension like the others?"

"I guess not. Maybe it somehow let me find it to tip the scales in our favor."

"Who really knows, buddy."

The Emeralds all appeared, floating for a few seconds. There was a loud rumble, and then in a flash, they were gone.

"Let's get out of here and see what happened, pal."

**Soon**

The duo looked out over the landscape. The island looked normal enough, though admittedly it was sinking really slowly before, so it was rather hard to tell.

"I'm sure everything's fixed now. The Emeralds have disappeared again it seems."

"They always do, Tails. I hope this time in a less annoying manner."

"We can tell all the people it's safe to come back now."

"We better hurry. There'll be a boost in tourism after this."

**Later**

"_And so once again, thanks to the island's hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, and his new friend Miles Prower, the island is safe, and more than ready to welcome more visitors."_

"Now that's a news story."

"No kidding, Sonic. I just wish they didn't use my real name."

"Big deal. Everyone knows who you really are. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking a nap."

"I'll be in the garage."

As Tails walked off, he thought of something.

"Sonic, what do you think Dr. Eggman meant when he said this was only the beginning?"

"For all we know, he could be bluffing, buddy."

"But what if he's not?"

"Well…all we can do is keep calm and carry on."

"You mean be prepared?"

"Exactly."

"Then that's what I'll do."

"Good man. *YAWN* Now if you don't mind?"

"Right. Later."

**Meanwhile**

"How embarrassing! Losing to Sonic twice in such a short time. It's more than I can bear."

"Doctor."

"WHAT?!"

"The project is complete."

Robotnik's sneer turned into a smug grin.

"Sonic has no idea what's in store for him now. Hee hee hee hee hee! OH HO HO HO HO HO!"


End file.
